President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cautioned Nigerian Christian pilgrims traveling to Israel and Jordan not to flee while on the sacred pilgrimage, stressing that patriotism and dignity should motivate their conduct outside the nation.
Speaking to the pilgrims at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri, Imo State, as part of the flag-off of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) 2025 Delayed Easter Pilgrimage Exercise, Tinubu in the words of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume described pilgrimage as a “spiritual journey of faith” which enhances moral rekindling and national development.
He urged the pilgrims to return with their contingents afterwards, and warned that escaping strips one of dignity and discredits the image of the country. “There is no Nigeria. You have freedom and respect in your own country and you are known, but if you stay behind illegally in a foreign country, you lose all honor and dignity,” he stated.
Tinubu thanked the NCPC, headed by Bishop Prof. Stephen Adegbite, for the steps taken that have resulted in cases of abscondment reducing to almost zero since December 2024. Tinubu also thanked Adegbite’s leadership, an accomplishment where the commission has staged four pilgrimages in two years.
Emphasizing his government’s resolve to foster religious cohesion, the President stated that the theme of the exercise, “Pilgrimage of Renewed Hope for Total Restoration,” resonates with his Renewed Hope Agenda that seeks to enhance the quality of life for the people.
Though conceding that some of the policies may have been strict, Tinubu pledged that “there will be light at the end of the dark tunnel,” citing achievements in youth empowerment, infrastructure, education, and security, including insurgency, kidnapping, and banditry checkmated.
He appreciated Governor Hope Uzodinma for sponsoring 1,000 pilgrims this year equivalent to a similar gesture in 2023 and valued his contributions to the spiritual and infrastructural development of Imo State.
